I’ve been following the show, The Pitch, very closely since it first aired. It reminds me how dysfunctional agencies really are – and how that can really affect your business if you hire them to do your video. Here’s a short list of my top 5 reasons not to get your explainer videos created by an agency:

1. Cost

Small, boutique (explainer) video shops can offer you the same quality or better with much less overhead.

2. Quality Of Product

With less overhead and politics, the small guy is more inclined to create a perfect product – because he really has to make a name for himself.

3. Better Relationship

At an agency, you’ll get assigned a random account manager that doesn’t know a thing about explainer videos. At a small shop, you’ll get an expert that will go the extra mile to befriend you and help you however possible.

4. Struggles

Agencies everywhere are struggling. They want to get you in and out as quickly as possible, make their money and move on to the next client. That’s not good for your business.

5. Drama

Most agencies have so much internal drama that it’s hard to actually produce good ideas. A junior creative may have a genius idea and it could get shut down as soon as it comes out of his mouth. It will never see the light of day.
For more, check out Tracy Wong’s (of WDCW) list of issues with typical Agencies in this article.

3 Favorite Mentions

• Departments so full of enormous egos, it’s like “Clash of the Titans” on an hourly basis.
• Colleagues eager to stab each other in the back with the sharpest knives possible.
• Bureaucracy upon bureaucracy upon bureaucracy where nothing gets decided.
  Don’t miss out on a good video experience.

Work directly with a video producer at a small (explainer video) shop. You won’t regret it.